Qur'an

Description Walters manuscript W.552, a horizontal-format manuscript on parchment, is an illuminated fragment of the Qur'an covering chapter 6 (Surat al-an'am), the end of verse 54, through chapter 9 (Surat al-tawbah), verse 79. The fragment probably dates to the 3rd century AH/AD 9th. The text is written in an Early Abbasid (Kufic) script in dark brown ink and vocalized with red dots. Chapter headings are in gold ink, and verse markers in the shape of a stylized letter ha' and rosettes with colored dots indicate groups of five and ten verses. The green goatskin binding with gold-painted central floral design and cornerpieces is 13th century AH/AD 19th or later.

Exhibitions

• Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1984-1985.
• The Divine Word and Sacred Sites of Islam. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1997.
• Speaking the Word of God: Illuminated Korans from the Walters Art Museum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2007.
• Poetry and Prayer: Islamic Manuscripts from the Walters Art Museum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2010.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters